Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the Department of Justice, which would allow him to be released from prison to his native Australia.

The deal must first be approved by a federal judge. If approved, it would allow him to plead guilty to one charge of violating the Espionage Act by obtaining and disclosing national defense information, carrying a 62-month sentence. According to CNN, this includes the time he already spent in a United Kingdom prison, setting him free.

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The WikiLeaks founder faced 18 counts from a 2019 indictment, which carried a maximum of 175 years in prison. He had been fighting extradition to the United States for the past half-decade.

His court appearance had been scheduled for July 9-10.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated with more information.